Confab Committee Wants JAMB result valid for two years

The Committee on Social Sector in the ongoing National Conference, has recommended that results obtained by candidates who sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board should be valid for two years.

The committee also flayed the circumstance where over 1.5 million people jostle annually for about 500,000 available spaces leaving the chunk of 1 million who are unable to secure admission because of low capacity of the institutions in the country.

The committee chaired by a former Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs. Josephine Anenih and former Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa’i as  Deputy, said “JAMB result should last for two years to enable the candidates have another trial to secure admission.”

The committee has also urged both Federal and State governments to up their budgetary allocation to education to 26 per cent in line with the recommendation of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation recommendation.

The Confab committee said, “Federal and State governments should continue to finance education through adequate annual budgetary provision of at least 26% funding, release of budgeted funds as first line charge and ensuring that funds released are spent with attention to prudence and value for money.”

The committee report, expected to be debated at the conference plenary this week, also recommended that the 2 per cent Consolidated Revenue Fund allocated to the Universal Basic Education Commission by the Federal Government should be increased to 4 per cent.

It also recommended that the 2 per cent Education Tax Fund remitted to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund should be increased to 4 per cent,adding that this was in recognition of the importance of education to national development and the need to ensure proper funding of the sector.

As part of initiative to encourage more private sector participation in delivery of education in the country, the committee said there was the urgent need to stop the double taxation of private school proprietors by the Ministry of Education and the Board of Internal Revenue.

This according to the committee would help reduce the exorbitant fees charged by the private institutions while at the same time create incentive for more people to invest in the sector.

The report said, “There is basically nothing wrong with the current education policy. Faithful implementation is the major problems. If Nigeria is able to achieve 80 per cent implementation most of the problems of the educational system will be taken care.”